Magic Wineglass Tours

Tag: food

  • Fresh + Local = Supper

    Fresh + Local = Supper

    I stopped at a roadside stand in Georgia this week, and picked up some of the sweetest peaches, ever. The vidalia onions were enormous and irresistible, so those went into my market bag, too. I’ve been eating the peaches all week, but the onions were waiting for today…

    Wednesday means the Waynesville Farmer’s Market is open!  So, Wednesday afternoon found me making a quick stop at the King Harvest Farm stand for tomatoes (eaten immediately) and yellow beans (asking Terry King about the difference, she said, “They’re yellow.”) and fingerling potatoes.

    Today, the full-on market was in swing, so I buzzed down there and bought scallops (Hillbilly Shrimp Market) and rainbow chard (and I’m so sorry I didn’t get the name of Justin’s farm) among other things, and headed home with my haul.

    First, the bacon.  I rendered the grease from just a couple pieces of bacon, in a cast iron pan.  I set aside a tablespoon of the drippings, and then deep-fried the potatoes and beans.  (If you’ve never tried flash fried beans – I don’t care what color they are – do yourself a favor.  It’s lovely.)

    Then it was time to quickly saute the chard and onions in the remaining bacon grease.

    I deglazed the pan with a bit of white wine and set it aside as a sauce for the scallops.  Then it was time for these babies: I added a fat pat of butter and the reserved bacon grease to the center of the pan and let them do their thing.

    Meanwhile, my dish is ready!  On a bed of sauteed chard and onions, topped with lightly salted fingerlings and flash fried yellow beans, I crumbled a slice of bacon on the top for good measure.

    Then it was time to add the scallops and drizzle with that phenomenal sauce…

    And voila’!  So fresh, local produce, and I know there’s one last peach in the kitchen for dessert, later.  I’ve poured myself a glass of the pinot grigio I used to deglaze the pan (hey, that insures it will pair nicely, hmmm?) and it’s time to dig in.

    I was keeping a friend posted all throughout this adventure, and was asked later if they came out well.

    I’m going with yes.

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  • The Creek House kitchen

    I have been remiss.  With eleventy bazillion photos of the Creek House all over this website and also www.maggievalleycottage.com, I didn’t realize I skipped pictures of my hands-down favorite place to be – in the kitchen!

    Now, this is not a dream house magazine spread designer gourmet kitchen.  Far from it.  It isn’t snazzy.  But it makes you feel so *welcome*.  It’s a cook-in-your-socks kind of kitchen.  And after making breakfast in here for the past eighteen years (how in the world did that much time fly by?!) I confess that I never want to spend any time in another drywall ho-hum boring kitchen.  I love my mismatched cabinets, hardwood floors, low ceiling beams covered in mugs.  The hooks are horseshoe nails fashioned into cup hooks for me by a blacksmith, back when we had one of those in Maggie Valley.

    There are treasures in every corner, and little odd places to tuck in another bit here, another bit there.  I’ve filled it with things I love to use, and it’s an easy place to work.

    So this week, when a very nice lady asked for kitchen pictures, I was stunned to find out that in my many tens of thousands of pictures on my computer, I couldn’t find any of the kitchen!  That’s because… wait for it… guess what: when I’m in the kitchen, I’m COOKING, not taking pictures haha!

    Without further ado, voila: The Kitchen, before and after…

     

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  • Picnic Lunch in the Great Smoky Mountains

    At last!  Something special for our hikers.

    Our Picnic Package always includes the basket – so that you can take it with you on your travels. We’ve just gotten in our newest edition of baskets: a backpack! These things are SO COOL! The body of the backpack is insulated, and when you unzip the outside section, voila: dishes and utensils.

    We think the slip pocket is ideally suited for a trail map…

    Take your picnic into the mountains to enjoy in the high country of Western North Carolina. We’ll provide you with directions to some wonderful spots for a picnic –choose from the Blue Ridge Parkway, the historic Cataloochee Valley, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or right here at Timberwolf Creek alongside the stream.

    Enjoy freshly baked bread (sandwich filled to order) and fruit and cheese and veggies and olives and sweets and beverages and the list goes on… There’s usually a pie in there somewhere… Nothing like finding a whole entire pie in the bottom of your picnic basket 🙂 and of course all the implements you’ll need to enjoy that pie, and the rest of your picnic.

    But wait, you’re not a hiker?  No worries.  The backpacks lend themselves to all sorts of outings.  The insulated compartment keeps everything nice, so you can take this on your road trip and have lunch along the way (some of the highway rest areas have really beautiful picnic areas) instead of just hitting another fast food drive through window.  Or tuck a book into the front pocket, pack snacks and head for the park.  Do you bring your lunch to work?  Take turns with a friend, and blow them away when you arrive with this one, filled with your favorite pasta salad and fresh cut fruit and bakery delights.  And by all means, surprise your sweetheart with a walk in the mountains, a special bottle of wine, exquisite cheese and crunchy goodies.  What a great way to propose…

    Picnics at Timberwolf Creek are packed in a picnic basket/backpack for you to keep. Everything you need for a marvelous lunch in the fine country air.

    And of course, you can always just use it as a backpack.

     

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  • The WNC Cheese Trail – an artisnal delight

    North Carolina has an abundance of artisnal cheesemakers, and we have two within an hour’s drive that you can easily visit during your stay with us.  Out past Cherokee, is Yellow Branch Farm.  They have both cheese and pottery tours (feel free to bring me a piece with that exquisite blue glaze).  And stop on the way back to tube down Deep Creek in Bryson City, or take the seven-mile loop hike and see the waterfalls.

    Heading east past Asheville, you can tour both Looking Glass Creamery (makers of my all-time favorite chocolate lab cheese) and, if you’re feeling adventurous, continue out to Hickory Nut Gap Farm for you-pick berries and apples to perfect your tailgate picnic.  Of course, there are a bazillion little spots to recommend in nearby Asheville, but that’s a post for another day.

    WNC Cheese Trail

    Not looking for a day trip, but still want all that fabulous artisnal cheese?  No problem!  Pop over to Waynesville (ten minutes away) and head down to the Montgomery Street Market for lots and lots of locally made yummies, in addition to all that cheese.

    Or just laze away an afternoon upstairs at the Frog’s Leap Public House, with a lovely glass of wine, and a small-plate of local cheese.  They usually have four or five… and I usually tell them to put everything on a platter and bring it to me…  Now *that* is a fabulous lunch!

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  • Poached Eggs

    Poached Eggs

    Confessions of an Innkeeper: I’ve had my B&B since 1998, I’m 58 years old, and today I poached an egg for the first time in my life. I’m astonished how fast, how simple, how easy – and why in the world have I been so intimidated by this??!?

    Nevermore! Break an egg (cold & fresh) into a small bowl. Put an inch of water in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and then ease it off to a simmer. Add a teaspoon of salt, two of white vinegar, swirl to make a whirlpool. Ease the egg right into the center of the whirlpool. Cover and remove from heat. NO PEEKING for five minutes. Poof. Egg. I didn’t trim edges, cherry pick the best ones, or anything. This is how they came out. I took them out of the pan with a slotted spoon, laid momentarily on a paper towel and put them in the bowl. That’s it. Oh, and I ate them. With pleasure.

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  • Buttermilk Pancakes – light as air and lots tastier

    Buttermilk Pancakes – light as air and lots tastier

    Buttermilk Pancakes – light as air and lots tastier

    The whole entire secret to making good pancakes -really excellent pancakes- is eggs.  You can use a recipe, you can use a mix.  But if you use a mix, you have to ignore the part where it doesn’t call for eggs.  Separate a couple of eggs, and beat the egg whites – you want them pretty stiff, like a meringue.  I sprinkle in a bit of sugar toward the end because I’m impatient and it makes them peak faster.  (‘Peak’ as in, when you lift the beater out of the egg whites, it leaves a nice peak.)  Now, set these aside and mix up your regular pancake batter, and fold in that meringue.  I’ve used lots of recipes, but none of them make better tasting pancakes than Krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix.  Now, I do add Mexican vanilla and the eggs to that mix.  If you’re a purist who wants a recipe, here’s mine:  2 eggs, 3 C flour, 2 T baking powder,  1 t baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 2 T sugar, 1 T brown sugar, 2 C buttermilk, 1 T Mexican vanilla, plus whole milk as necessary.  Whip egg whites, adding 1 T sugar to help them hold their peaks.  Set aside.  Mix everything else, including egg yolks.  Add milk in small amounts until you have the consistency of very heavy paint.  And then fold in the egg whites.  They don’t need to be blended in completely.  Cook on a preheated 350 griddle.

    The reason for the first tablespoon of sugar is to make the meringue.  The second is to sweeten the batter.  The brown sugar adds depth.  The meringue makes the pancakes say, “Poof!” when they hit the griddle, and puffs them up light as air, while the sugars combine to make them brown so prettily.

    The reason for the Mexican vanilla is two-fold.  First, it’s really good vanilla.  The second is that, when I’m out of vanilla, Larry has to take me back to Mexico.  If you are tempted, now, to tell Larry where I can find Mexican vanilla closer to home, I’m going to have to do something about you.  So… don’t…  Ok?

    If you just really don’t like to cook, that’s ok.  I’ve got this one.  Come on down, and I’ll make you up a mess o’ pancakes.

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  • s’More Apples

    Ok, so I bought the teeny tiny itty-bitty micro mini squishy marshmallows to make scones.  Because I was buying raspberry chocolate chips for scones, and lemon drops for scones, and cinnamon bits for scones, and I already had milk chocolate chips and graham crackers at home… so when I spotted the teeny tiny itty-bitty micro mini squishy marshmallows, I thought, “Aha!  S’more scones!”

    But this morning wasn’t about scones.  We were having Cherry Chapelure (my version of oven French toast) with a pecan praline topping, and I had these lovely apples for the fruit course.  I really (really) didn’t want to make baked stuffed apples.  And the t.t.i-b.m.m.sq. marshmallows were just sitting there… trying to look all innocent… temptation in the making…  irresistible…

    So, I peeled, cored and sliced the apples.  This next step will revolutionize your morning, if you haven’t figured it out already:  put the apple slices in a bowl with a healthy splash of orange juice (toss ’em around in it).  The OJ will keep them from browning.  Now cover and steam them in the microwave until they are just tender.  They get a head start on cooking, and it helps them keep their shape.

    I sprayed ramekins and layered the apple slices with a sprinkling of t.t.i-b.m.m.sq. marshmallows.  Not too many.  Just enough to make the apples say ahhh.  Then I put graham crackers and vanilla wafers into a big baggie, sealed it shut, and rolled them just like a pastry with my rolling pin, until I had nice coarse crumbs.  Added just a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves to the baggie, shook it up, and topped my apples.  Then I melted way too much butter and drizzled it over the top.  Off it went into the oven to bake with the Chapelure and sausage patties, and voila – breakfast.

    This was all packed into the breakfast basket along with cinnamon-vanilla syrup, maple syrup, orange juice, and everything they needed to make a picnic breakfast happen, covered in pretty linens, flowers tied to the basket, and delivered to the cottage door.

    And voila.  S’more Apples.  A new addition to my breakfast repertoire, for sure!

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  • Just a plain breakfast, please

    Just a plain breakfast, please

    After a request for a ‘plain’ breakfast, and a bit of discussion, guests have had a breakfast basket delivered daily with ‘plain’ food.  Today’s was a pretty crystal tray of fresh cut fruit (nectarines, kiwi, and grapes) with no dressing or yogurt or sauce, per request.  Frittatas made with eggs and ham, potatoes, peppers, onions and herbs (and a little cheddar because I can’t help myself).  Cheese grits, by request, and yes there’s a little jalapeno in there because, well, I’m pretty sure there’s a law about that…  And some decidedly un-plain cherry scones.  I just love this Southern man to pieces – he wants sweet tea at every meal.  How precious is that?

    Breakfast Basket Menu
    We just want a Plain breakfast, please

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